Attachments
Executive Summary
There are many recent examples of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems being used for vulnerable people in humanitarian and disaster response contexts, with serious ethical and security-related implications. In particular, vulnerable populations are put at further risk through biases inherently built into AI systems. There are security concerns regarding their personal information being exposed and even used for persecution purposes. Yet rarely do they have a choice when it comes to the consent of surrendering such information. Now, as AI adoption grows rapidly, this report aims to develop AI principles and recommendations that would be specific to vulnerable people in the humanitarian field.
This report argues that AI systems with prevalent biases, security risks, and consent issues can undermine the role of humanitarian actors in disaster contexts by leaving aid recipients at further risk of vulnerability. Extending the risk of vulnerability not only impacts vulnerable populations, but also indirectly affects the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the maintenance of the Charter of the United Nations, and international human rights laws. The report proceeds in five sections. The first four detail current examples of AI systems that are used for vulnerable populations, analyze different forms of bias pertaining to AI systems, evaluate security risks, and examine issues of consent over data collection. Based on the points raised in these sections, the fifth section develops AI principles and recommendations specific to vulnerable people in the humanitarian field. These principles are:
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Weigh the benefits versus the risks: Avoid AI if possible
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Use AI systems that are contextually-based
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Empower and include local communities in AI initiatives
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Implement algorithmic auditing systems
This section continues by making several general suggestions as well as recommendations to align business models with the design and development of more ethical AI systems. This report is informed by scholarly and news articles, as well as 20 interviews with a diverse range of experts in the AI and humanitarian fields. They work in different branches of the United Nations, in academia, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and private sector companies.